Controlink
Systems LLC is an engineering based company with
diverse project capabilities. Our focus is often
linking systems and information together. We call
these links "controlinks" and usually
develop them after someone has told us it's
impossible. So, difficult project challenges are
welcomed. Following is a list of projects to
demonstrate some of our capabilities. If you are
interested in consulting services, please contact us
at (800) 838-3479.
Controlink
Systems LLC in the NEWS!
Process
Monitoring, Control, and Automated Analysis:
DNC software
automation is an important tool for improved
efficiency and to minimize potential data-entry
errors. We integrated our ML Send Utility into an
existing corporate database, enabling CNC file
transfers to be automated with a simple click of
a button from within the data base interface.
Once completed, the operator never had to type in
any information to transfer CNC program files - a
process that before was filled with potential
errors. The ML Send Utility is called directly
from the database and the name of the CNC file
and control is passed to it on the command line.
It springs to life on the local PC and transfers
the file to the control. The Timken Company
(Canton, OH) labeled this technology
"Innovative Software enables machines to
store and share information;" in an article
they published in the Timken Exchange, Volume 11,
Number 7, in August of 2000. The CNC
communication module, which we call our ML Send
Utility, can be integrated into any existing
database to achieve this same level of
automation.
Our Select and
Send Utility was developed for a high-production
CNC machine shop to streamline shop operations.
The interface allows the user to easily select
and order multiple CNC program files that are
then transferred to the CNC machine tool in the
order specified by the user. The CNC programs are
sent as O0001, O0002, etc. until the entire list
is transferred. The software also allows the user
to quickly review setup notes for any of the CNC
programs. Another feature enables the operators
to review additional information from the company
website by automatically launching their browser
and taking them to more detailed information. The
goal of the project was to simplify the entire
file transfer process at the shop level and to
establish a common interface at every CNC
machine.
DynoLink was
developed for Clark Detroit Diesel. They had to
validate the performance of every diesel engine
that was used to pump water through sprinkler
systems in case of a fire, so each engine had to
be tested and the results stored for
certification purposes. The DynoLink software
monitored fuel flow, horse power, temperatures,
and calculated engine efficiency at various
speeds throughout the test. It also protected the
engine and would automatically shut it down if
oil pressure dropped below a critical threshold
or if the water temperature exceeded a particular
threshold. All of the data was bundled and passed
into a corporate database recording all of the
test results for every engine that went through
their facility.
Auto Analyze for
drilling force measurements (torque and thrush)
integrated analysis capabilities directly into
the data collection system. It was used to
analyze torque/thrust measurements, collected
while drilling holes. It captured the values and
displayed them for every hole over the life of
the cutting tool. It fully automated the analysis
so when the test ended, a test report was
automatically prepared and completed, saving the
engineer hours of analysis time. Trying to get
those values manually was very tedious, so having
an algorithm that could find the torque thrust
measurement, adjust it for tare values, and use
it to monitor actual levels was a breakthrough.
This technology is very useful as well to ensure
that data is always analyzed using the same
method.
Ceramic Grinding
Research Software was developed for the High
Temperature Materials Laboratory at Oak Ridge
National Labratory (ORNL). The high-speed data
acquisition system was used to measure grinding
horsepower, grinding forces, acoustic emission,
and vibration levels. It also measured critical
grinding fluid temperatures, rotational speeds,
and other parameters useful to study the
characteristics of ceramic grinding. The software
was used at ORNL to study surface-grinding,
creep-feed-grinding, cylindrical grinding, and
centerless grinding. Grinding energies were
correlated to strength and fatigue
characteristics of ground parts. Researchers from
around the country and world use this software
for grinding studies. An analysis software module
(ReLink) was also developed and given to
Researchers once they left the lab that allowed
them to replay, re-analyze, and export the
collected data to other analysis packages. Hazel
O'Leary (Secretary of Department of Energy, 1990)
toured the lab and watched data being collected
in real time.
The Vibration
Analysis and Monitoring System tool set is a
comprehensive set of vibration analysis tools for
both time and frequency domain analysis. The
tools can be configured for multiple vibration
sensors and other voltage-type sensors to
indicate rotational speeds and other sensor
inputs. It's equipped with modal analysis
capabilities and can provide frequency response
measurements that can be directly imported into
standard modal packages. It can also be used to
collect operational deflection shapes (ODS)
collected during typical runs. It supports many
different types of averaging, windowing, and
filter types. We were suprised tools like this
weren't more readily available, but now that
we've created this tool set, it's being used for
maintenance and other process monitoring
activites.
GEM System
(Grinding Evaluation Monitor) incorporated the
Auto Analyze concept mentioned above. However, it
focused on analyzing grinding measurements of
horsepower and orthogonal grinding forces. When
metal was being removed, it could track the
grinding measurements for each plunge or pass and
calculate normalized parameters such as specific
grinding energy and other useful metrics for
evaluating grinding wheel performance and overall
process efficiency. The GEM system knew precisely
when it was cutting metal and when it was out-of
cut (cutting air). This was used to bracket
acoustic emission and vibration data as well. The
horsepower sensor with the GEM hardware made it
easy to interact with any grinding machine in the
field, so that the measurements could be
collected and analyzed, and a summary report
generated only seconds after finishing the
grinding process.
Industrial
and Production Control:
A Stamping Process
Monitor was developed to monitor critical, 20-ton
stamping presses (progressive dies) used to
manufacture automotive body panels. The software
can monitor six individual lines from a single PC
and track the cycle time for every die hit. Line
productivity and downtime "reason
codes" were collected to accurately quantify
overall line performance and to determine actual
product cycle time averages. The system was also
useful for establishing accurate measures for job
setup times and other factors that influence line
productivity. As you can imagine, when these
lines are down, money is being lost. The systems
were used to help improve overall line
productivity.
The Production
Needle Bearing Slicer system was developed and
used vibration data obtained from accelerometers
placed on the machine to monitor critical
vibration levels. The vibration levels were
correlated to slicing performance. The system had
a teach mode that was useful for establishing the
critical threshold levels for sharp tooling. When
a threshold was exceeded for a specified period
of time, it would alert the operator and stop the
process. All of the data was logged so that they
could determine expected slicer life. The primary
function of the system was to protect and improve
the quality of the sliced needle bearing
materials, which were used in downstream
products.
A Grinding Monitor
system was developed to protect an expensive
part. A $5 million grinding machine, located
underground, in a cave, for temperature and
humidity control purposes, was being used to
grind a 32-foot diameter, 8-inch thick, glass
lens. The estimated value of the lens was about
$25 million. Intermittent problems with the
machine would cause the grinding wheel to stop
rotating while the lens continued to rotate
beneath it, dragging the wheel across the glass
surface. As you can imagine, the operators were
very reluctant to press "cycle start"
in fear that they would scrap the lens. We
inserted an acoustic emission sensor, a
power-monitoring sensor, and interfaced with some
critical control voltages and were able to
capture a machine tool failure that convinced the
machine tool manufacturer that there really was a
problem with the grinding machine. The machine
was fixed and also modified so that if an error
condition occurred, the wheel was immediately
lifted off of the glass, protecting it.
The ACE controller
is used to control autoclaves, controlling
temperature, pressure, and vacuum. It can also be
used for ovens as well. The control is very
accurate but most importantly, the system is
incredibly easy for users. They can create
recipes using a very visual interface. During a
run, it is possible to manually override a recipe
to save a part run but the system can also
automatically adjust the run to ensure that
required soak times and temperatures are met.
From a maintenance perspective, every valve can
be manipulated through the software interface to
verify correct operation. The system also
interacts with a camera, storing part/load
pictures to document each run. All the pertinent
run data is captured and stored into a database
(Microsoft Access or SQL). Run data and graphs
are easily printed and historical data can be
easily retrieved to validate the run.
Additionally, our ViewLink software can be used
to monitor each autoclave from a central command
center. All run details and critical
measurements, alarms, and warnings can be seen
for each autoclave across the entire plant.
Master Link is
used to control the quality of metal cutting
fluid products in large central systems. These
systems generally contain about 10,000 to 40,000
gallons of cutting fluid product that is
distributed throughout the shop. The Master Link
software monitors fluid concentration, ph,
conductivity, and critical sump and tote levels.
It's equivalent to having a skilled chemist
living at your central system, 24/7, 365. The
system controls the quality of the fluid products
and makes all of the information available to
that company through a secured website.
Additionally, you can interact with the system
remotely, making any add at any time. Of course,
everything that happens to the sump is logged and
those log files are retrieved. Controlink Systems
was responsible for all of the PLC programming,
for all of the sensor selections, and we
developed, built, and integrated all of the
control hardware on-site into the company's shop.
We also have and own all the rights to this
technology and are looking for a champion to help
commercialize it further.
Master Retrieve
& Master Analyze were created to schedule and
automate the data retrieval and analysis process
by interacting remotely with the Master Link
PLCs. These two pieces of software functioned
together to retrieve, analyze, and post data to a
secured website. Master Retrieve is scheduling
software developed to pull data from the remote
PLC's that are running around the world. The
system will connect to these units by Ethernet,
landline modem, or cellular modem. It retrieves
the data and manages "house cleaning"
by removing the log files from the PLC (FTP
communications with complete error checking).
Master Analyze then processes the retrieved
information, and will display and upload the
results to a secured website. The customer(s) can
log onto the website and view the data from their
plant at any time. Basically, Master Retrieve
communicates with the remote devices and managed
all of the critical data and log files from the
remote PLC systems, and Master Analyze automated
the analysis.
The Hans Device
System was developed to document the
manufacturing process for Hans Devices which are
worn by professional race car drivers to protect
their necks from injury. The devices are made of
carbon composite materials that must be cured
using a special fixture and apparatus. Tracking
the cure temperatures, press pressures, and other
critical manufacturing parameters was very
important. The software interacted with multiple
Hans presses and automated serial number entries,
the weighing of the finished components, and
moved all the critical process parameters into a
database for storage and later analysis. The
software was designed in such a way that if the
main computer went down, the data could still be
retrieved from the presses. In fact, the presses
could continue to run and make products and no
information was ever lost. It basically made the
system independent of a working computer or any
type of a network connection, which was a real
technological advantage.
Non-Contact
and Contact Gauging Systems:
3M Project for
Chip Defect Detection combined high-speed motion
control with vision systems to automate the
procedure for separating good product and for
counting and categorizing product defects. Sheets
of film about 3x1 feet were marked for quality
and then cut into small, rectangular chips about
1/4x1/2 inches. The vision system examined the
large cut sheet and selectively move
unmarked/undamaged chips to a secondary
inspection station. The chip was then
re-inspected at higher magnification and if the
quality was acceptable, moved to bins and
counted. A unique feature of the vision system
was its ability to track defects based on color
makings. The color markings were made using
different colored pens by quality inspection
personnel prior to the sheets being cut. This
system automated the painful task of manually
separating chips and trying to determine, based
on color, defect types and counts. We were
responsible for the entire user interface and all
of the motion and process control capabilities of
the system. We also engineered a unique
hand-shaking protocol between the primary motion
and vision system, enabling them to share results
and function as a cohesive unit. An entire sheet
could be inspected in less than 30 minutes.
The DMS (Dynamic
Measurement System) was a sophisticated system
for non-contact gauging of automotive glass.
Critical parameters (surface points, edge points,
and pin-center locations) were measured using
lasers. The incoming parts were identified using
a camera system and the necessary measurement
scheme was completed. The DMS quickly moved the
laser (600 mm/sec) across the glass and collected
the data for analysis (2 linear and 1 rotary
axis). The measurements were collected and passed
to a curve-fitting package and the glass was
passed or failed based upon the actual cad
tolerancing. The data could also be viewed in
terms of in-car position. The entire inspection
completed in less than a minute and the same
measurements took about four hours on a CMM with
a skilled operator. The DMS enabled 100% part
inspection, and would pass and fail every single
piece of glass. Whisker-graphs were also provided
showing the tolerance band making it easy to see
if a part was just in or out of tolerance. The
information was used to adjust upstream processes
including changes to the robot that was
positioning the pins. Pass/Fail data was also
sent to a down-stream robot that sorted the
parts.
Shop level
measurement systems have been developed for many
companies. Several unique gauging systems were
developed in cooperation with Kodak (Dayton, OH).
These gauging systems are used daily for many
different parts. The software guides the user
through the entire measurement process and then
Passes or Fails the part based upon part
tolerances. Various probe styles and automation
is used to position and hold each part during the
measurement process. Each system can manage
multiple parts and all of the information and
user details are stored. It also manages
re-calibration intervals and incorporates a
"Golden Master" concept to protect
expensive master gauges. The software can be
configured to enforce Western Electric Rules to
determine if Machine Calibration is out of
Control!
Manufacturing
Scheduling:
FlowLink automated
an entire repair center, prioritized all of the
incoming orders based on the required delivery
date, shipment method, and the availability and
capability of repair technicians. It would
release the next highest priority order into the
lab to the available technician that had the
capabilities for that particular repair, and it
also controlled all of the Kanban levels for the
top twenty percent products. It functioned like a
supervisor hanging over the shop floor, and it
would look down and it could see every tech,
their availability, if they were here or not, if
they were active or not, what they were working
on, how long they had been working on it, and if
they were over an average repair time. The
supervisor, with that information, could watch
repairs and would know if additional help was
needed to complete on time. Plus, it used a large
display board, somewhat like a scoreboard, and
would display the number of orders that still
needed to be processed that day, so everybody
knew the current status throughout the day.
A Company/Shop
Scheduling System was developed in co-operation
with Mark Schaub of Next Level Engineering. The
system enabled products to be scheduled through
six different lines of the plant, based on actual
run times and set up rates. The software once
implemented created a production rhythm and
completely eliminated the chaos that existed in
the shop prior to its implementation. It
streamlined the collection of actual run metrics,
while maintaining the necessary flexibility to
deal with the daily production realities. The
entire company, from material purchasing to
shipping, sales, and management, relied on and
used it to manage the flow of products through
the plant. It tracked all down-time and logged
everything to a corporate database, where
detailed queries could be ran. This technology is
ideally suited for scheduling products through
stamping plants and we are seeking opportunities
for its implementation.
Programmable
Program:
The DoseCAL
software was a real achievement. It managed
radioactive isotopes, automated the control of
pumps, multi-valve positions, and radioactive
measurement devices (ATOM Analyzer). The software
was designed for the hospital to create shots
that would be injected into patients for cancer
diagnosis. The user interface managed all of the
isotopes and it handled all of the half-life
calculations to ensure that the prescribed amount
of radioactivity was delivered at injection time.
We created a scripting language to allow the
doctor to create unique scripts to control
process flow and to establish user-defined
variables for calculations and decision making.
It also interacted, based upon the script, with a
variety of different instruments and managed
valve positions (moving to a desired port
clockwise or counter clockwise) for creating the
shot. The scripting language gave the doctor
tremendous flexibility and also made it possible
for us to complete the project under budget (the
number of potential shot development variations
was tremendous). The orders were retrieved from
the hospital database and once filled, the
information was written back to the database with
the RX number and other pertinent patient
details. Our work inspired several other
companies to further automate and commercialize
the technology.

Controlink
Systems LLC
24545 Lela Dr., Lawrenceburg, IN 47025
812.637.6800, fax 6801, or 800.838.3479
e-mail: link@controlinksystems.com
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